Protest against Filipina's death sentence

Protest against Filipina's death sentencBy Jennifer Thompson SYDNEY A group of 30 Filipinos and Australian supporters held a noisy picket on October 27 to protest the death sentence given to a 16 year-old Filipina maid, Sarah Balabagan, in the United Arab Emirates. Balabagan, from an impoverished area in the south of the Philippines, took a job in the UAE when she was 14 years old. Within weeks of her arrival her employer raped her and she stabbed him to death. A UAE court sentenced her to death on September 16. The first of two appeals will be heard on October 30. If both fail, Balabagan may face the firing squad. The protesters condemned the economic policies of the US-backed Ramos government which relies on the export of Filipino labour. Approximately 4.2 million Filipinos work overseas 80,000 in the UAE and send remittances back to the Philippines. The Philippines government's dependence on this money is behind its refusal to acknowledge the horrifying abuse and maltreatment of many overseas Filipino workers. The protesters, members and supporters of Bayan Australia, called for international support in the campaign for Balabagan's acquittal and repatriation to the Philippines. Their demands were also raised by a Filipino speaker at the Reclaim the Night rally later that night. n